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Senate requires seat belts on charter buses and mandates pre-trip safety briefings
Summary
The Senate passed legislation requiring seat belts for passengers on charter buses and directing drivers to give pre-trip safety briefings informing riders that buckling is mandatory; sponsor cited studies showing seat belts reduce fatalities by 44%.
ALBANY — The New York State Senate on April 28 passed a bill aimed at reducing deaths and injuries on charter buses, requiring that passengers use seat belts and that drivers conduct a pre-trip safety briefing.
Senator Cooney, speaking in support, said, ‘‘Seatbelts prevent tragedies. Seat belts get passengers home safe, seat belts save lives,’’ and pointed to research he said shows seat belts on these buses reduce fatalities by about 44 percent and severe injuries by 45 percent. He described the bill as a public-safety measure in the wake of fatal crashes on Long Island and in Western New York.
Floor text read by the clerk (calendar materials) indicates the bill’s text includes a requirement that drivers perform pre-trip announcements telling passengers that buckling up is the law and that noncompliance can result in fines. The calendar notes a statutory effective provision: Section 3 states the action will take effect one year after the bill becomes law.
The Senate recorded the vote and the bill was passed on the calendar.
Sources: Floor debate and calendar reading on April 28, 2026. Quote attributed to Senator Cooney as recorded on the floor.
